"Nearly 30 years ago, on the piano man's 18Th wedding anniversary, a unique situation
was being developed. Three well-versed jazz musicians congregated at a ranch house
basement recording studio on Beatrice Street in Livonia Michigan to document all of the
piano man's original tunes (all at that time) by performing them without rehearsals, without
second takes, without any audio enhancements, and improvising solos based on the
feelings created in the moment."

Live Montreux

There’s no harm in admitting that I had never heard Bob Szajner, perhaps because I’m not from Detroit where

Szajner spent his life or perhaps because I hadn’t heard any of the hard-to-find albums from his sparse recorded

output. I suspect that many other Jazz listeners have not heard Szajner either, as most of his life was spent in

pursuits other than music.

At the age of eleven, he shared the bill with Billie Holiday, in high school he played piano in a band with Louis

Hayes, and as an eager young musician he jammed with Alice Coltrane, Kirk Lightsey and Charles McPherson.

Szajner took the initiative to schedule one recording session for his group, and three albums resulted from it. In

2006 he reviewed the tapes of his infrequent recordings and listened approvingly to one of his trio, Triad II.

Cadence Historical Series of Cadence Jazz Records has released a recording of the group’s high point when it

performed before his largest audience at the 1981 Montreux-Detroit International Jazz Festival. Admittedly, the

recording technology for that event was of less than professional quality, and Szajner was supplied with a miked

spinet piano which enclosed and muffled the strings. Nonetheless, the CD documents Szajner as an engaging and swinging musician who through the force of musical personality captured the enthusiasm of his audience despite the limitations of technology and instrument. In addition, the recording of the live performance—unaltered but for the shortening of “Just a Touch Up” because the tape recording reached the end of the reel—shows Szajner as a concise and imaginative composer with wittydedications to his influences such as “Pause for Hawes.”

Szajner opened the concert with a spirited tribute to Bill Evans, “For Evans Sake.” Although the references to Evans may have escaped the audience’s attention, the piece remained accessible and melodic enough for broad-based entertainment in the festive outdoor atmosphere. In addition, the tune provides Szajner with the opportunity to introduce the strengths of his sidemen, particularly with bassist Ed Pickens’ forceful solo. Szajner’s program was varied. “Prayer Meetin’” incorporates gospel progressions and infectious joyousness to draw in the hand-clapping crowd. “Three Four Montreux,” performed just this one time, provides the insouciant lilt of a Jazz waltz, succinct but effective in capturing the audience’s attention. “Shadows” provides evidence of Szajner’s compositional versatility as he deals with complex textures and subtler moods, still spirited, though constrained by the sonically dulling boxiness of the piano.

Fortunately, Szajner reassessed the value of his recordings and now has made them available to allow for

re-appreciation of his group, insufficiently documented, while he still had the opportunity to do so. Drummer Frank Isola has already passed and Szajner lost track of Pickens many years ago. Rather than remaining a memory of the Detroiters who heard him, Szajner can be reappreciated by those, like me, who didn’t attend any of his performances and who never heard any of his previous hard-to-find recordings.

About: Live At The Detroit Montreux Jazz Fest 1981

Bob Szajner is a bopster and prolific composer. He's been in and out of the Detroit Jazz scene since the 1950's.

This release documents one of his last concerts and gives ample evidence of his talents and abilities.

Complementing this package are extensive notes by the pianist along with perspectives by Michael Nastos and Bob Rusch. This nicely fills in a gap in Detroit's Jazz history and is the complete package.